SUMMARYThe SALGA, theUniversity of Free State Centre for Development
Support and the Department briefed the Committee on the municipal protests that
had taken place due to deficient service delivery. Members were interested in
the reasons underlying the protests and were given insight into various factors
that were contributory. The research presented to the Committee was in the form
of case studies of certain municipalities. The Committee was also interested in
the efforts of SALGA and the Department in dealing with the issue.
MINUTES
South African Local Government Association (SALGA) on protests in
municipalitiesThe Chairman of SALGA Mr Amos Masondo gave a brief introduction on the
protests and the issues underlying it, that is, genuine service delivery
weaknesses and the complexities of cross boundary interactions.

Mr Xolani George conducted the actual briefing. He pointed out that protests
had initially broken out in 2004 in the Free State and the North West
Provinces. Protests had however intensified in the run up to and post March
2006 local government elections. Protests had become violent and had resulted
in criminal activities taking place. Poor governance, poor service delivery,
poor communication and lack of financial management were some of the reasons
for the protests.

Mr George continued with a synopsis of the municipal unrests in the various
provinces. He did this by identifying the municipality and the issue of concern
associated with it. Mr George however made the point that even though protests
were taking place, delivery on basic services had significantly increased since
1995. A breakdown of figures was presented. Mr George said that the media had
also covered the negative developments in local government irresponsibly and
hardly any positive coverage had been given. SALGA proposed inculcating
responsible use of legitimate processes and institutions for grievances as well
as building partnerships with community leaders. SALGA as part of its five-year
strategic plan wished to establish a Governance Support Unit to assist
municipalities that have chronic governance problems. SALGA had also raised
concerns and made specific proposals as part of its comments on the Policy
Review Process, specifically around the powers and functions of municipalities.

Discussion
Mr S Mshudulu (ANC) said that most of the protests were led by agitators.
Engagement with organized political structures was needed. Mr Mshudulu stated
that he would have liked to have more clarity on the political reasons behind
the unrest.

Mr Masondo said that it was tempting to go after agitators. He felt that it was
not worth the effort to go after agitators as their numbers were small and they
had no power in the broader scheme of things.

Mr M Swathe (DA) stated that most of the protesters complained that they were
not being looked after by municipalities. There was also a lack of
communication. He asked what SALGA had done to address these issues.

Mr Masondo said that service delivery and development should be concentrated
on.

Mr R Sonto (ANC) addressed all the presenters and asked what plan was in place
to curb the protests throughout South Africa.

Mr Masondo replied that SALGA would focus on grappling with the issues and
would assist municipalities in trying to deal with them.

An ANC committee member asked what was being done about ward committees.

The Chair stated that there were both formal and informal structures for public
participation. He noted that the political reasons behind the protests were
understood. Problems with service delivery needed to be addressed. He felt that
SALGA’s public relations were not what they ought to be and an adverse public
profile impacts on issues.There were complaints about the speed and
quality of responsiveness. The public had a legitimate right to complain if
service delivery was lacking.

Mr Masondo stated that SALGA was a quasi- governmental organization. SALGA
considered itself to be a learning organization and not a know-it-all. It was
necessary to identify a single common reason behind the protests. It would help
towards finding a solution. The issue was considered to be a complex one. Mr
Masondo agreed that protesting was part of a normal democratic process but
noted that it should be done within parameters.

Mr Elroy Africa, Deputy Director General: Governance and
Development, DPLG, said
that the Department had adopted the Batho Pele principles to improve
responsiveness but had only recently tried to introduce it in a structured
manner. He said that he would report back to the Committee on how well Batho
Pele was doing.

University of Free State Centre for Development Support briefingDr Zacheus Matebesi, Co-facilitator: Centre for Development Support,
presented research on the municipal protests and the reasons that underlie it.
He noted that the protests had been more acute in the Free State and the North
West. The research had covered four municipalities: Phumelela, Khutsong,
Phomolong and Nelson Mandela Bay. Poor governance, poor communication,
ineffective client interface, and ineffective management were some of the
reasons for the protests. Housing administration and management was also one of
the key concerns of residents. Political infighting and struggles between local
factions were some of the political reasons underlying protest action. Services
and the cost thereof was another gripe by residents.

Dr Matebesi said that the impact of the protests had been great. Damage to
infrastructure had taken place and there had been a decline in service
payments. The impact on the economy as a whole was great and even education had
been seriously interrupted in the affected areas. Enhancing financial
management systems, improving technical operations and maintenance as well as
implementing efficient client interface and complaints management systems were
some of the recommendations made. Early warning signs include high levels of
non-payment and municipal cash flow problems as well as continual complaints
about general service delivery and housing issues.

DiscussionMr D Kekana (ANC) asked whether the research had confirmed what SALGA
had said or was anything new discovered.

Ms M Gumede (ANC) addressed all the presenters and said that she was concerned
about housing allocations and the way waiting lists were managed.

Dr Matebesi said that if municipalities had done what they should have housing
allocations should not have been an issue.

Mr Masondo explained that sometimes emergencies arise where municipalities were
not able to stick to housing waiting lists in making housing allocations such
as floods and fires. Sometimes people needed to be housed as a matter of
priority.

Mr Mshudulu asked if the public understood what government was doing from local
up tonational levels. Was there a
problem with governmental institutional systems or structures? He asked whether
there was a lack of communication.

Mr Swathe referred to the lack of council meetings and the issues around ward
committees and asked what the problems were.

Dr Matebesi stated that in one instance the Mayor and the Municipal Manager did
not get along and hence no council meetings took place. He also stated that
people did not always attend ward committee meetings.

Mr Tsenoli referred to the presentation and asked what was meant by rethinking
development in small communities.

The Chair
noted that communication was an imperative and that communities should be
informed of projects taking place. He asked what had emerged from the
assessment of the role of the media.

Dr Matebesi said that there needed to be an understanding of local migration
patterns into small towns. If a great deal of in migration takes place, it puts
pressure on the town’s resources and it affects service delivery. He said that
in all four areas assessed structures and procedures were in place, the only
thing lacking was accountability. It was not always about service delivery.
Sometimes people just wanted to be heard. On the media, he said that the media
was a business after all and “whatever sold newspapers goes”.

Department’s preliminary overview of service delivery protests The Department’s delegation comprised of Mr Elroy Africa, Mr Chris Du
Plessis and Mr William Rampele. Mr Africa presented the Department’s
preliminary overview of service delivery related protests. He noted that he did
not wish to go into too much detail as much of the material had been covered in
the SALGA presentation. The Committee was given a background on the governance
framework and an overview of service delivery protests in the affected
provinces for the years 2004 until 2007.

Mr Africa said that the preliminary analysis showed that no comprehensive
research existed on service delivery related protests. There was however
focused, thematic case study research that had been undertaken. Amongst those
mentioned was the research done by Dr Matebesi from the University of Free
State. The Committee was given insight into some of the emerging views of the
case study research. The causes or factors influencing protests outlined in the
presentation were more or less the same as those given by previous presenters.

Mr Africa
presented figures on service delivery progress. He set out the legislative
environment for communication and accountability [Clause 18 of the Municipal
Systems Act 2000] and the policy and regulatory framework for community
participation [White Paper on Local Government (1998) and Clause 16 of the
Municipal Systems Act]. Mr Africa said that the current policy review of the
White Paper would reflect on lessons learnt from practice. Ongoing analysis of
local protests and various research in addition to continued close
collaboration and support to provinces on addressing the key causes underlying
the protests, were amongst the areas of focus of the Department.

DiscussionMr Swathe noted that in some of the municipality councilors were also
full time teachers. He asked how the Department and SALGA ensured that they did
their work as councilors.

Mr Africa replied that the Department had not made an assessment of teachers
who were also serving as councilors. He did state that these teachers were only
serving as part-time councilors.

Mr Mshudulu asked how challenges were to be addressed.

Mr Africa replied that a specific unit dealing with the protests had not been
put in place but that the Department had made clear interventions on dealing
with the protests. The Department had taken steps to deal with the issue.

Ms P Bhengu (ANC) said that most of the municipalities had under-spent their
budgets and consequently it impacted upon service delivery. She asked what
steps DPLG was going to take.

Mr Africa replied that under-spending by municipalities was a contributory
factor to the protests.

The Chair said that there was a need for a plan of action. The Department and
SALGA needed to communicate with each other. He asked the Department to speak
about early warning signs.

Mr Africa referred to the University of Free State presentation in which early
warning signs were mentioned. He said that the Department needed to be
proactive and take steps to strengthen municipalities so that they could spend
more and be more accountable. The Department had noted certain normative
conclusions that it did not necessarily agree with. Some of the conclusions
spoke about service delivery being the new struggle. Comments had also been
made that there was a crisis of legitimacy. The Department disagreed with these
statements.

Mr Africa
suggested that engagement take place. In the Department’s view a number of
questions remained unanswered. Much of the research had identified the Free
State and the North West as hot spots for protests. Mr Africa said that the
research did not give an indication as to why this was so. He further pointed
out that the research had not stated why protests were violent and why public
infrastructure had been destroyed. He concluded by stating that some issues
were not coming to the fore in the research.
The meeting was adjourned.